We feel desperately sympathetic towards still-employed members of the media who will have no holiday party to celebrate not being fired at this Christmas. Newsweek moved their party to April, and Hearst, Conde Nast, Viacom and ABC News have canceled their celebrations altogether. But for those richheads who haven't been touched by the grim finger of the recession, it's important to cut back a bit on private parties, writes the Wall Street Journal. This way, the little people know you're feeling the pinch, too:The WSJ offers a litany of tips for throwing a slightly less expensive party. It's just polite:

"People are looking to scale back a little bit and do more with less," says Debi Lilly, who calls herself chief eventeur of A Perfect Event, her Chicago-based event-planning company. Ms. Lilly's client list ranges from Oprah Winfrey to luxury-goods company Bulgari to the University of Chicago. "Many of my customers don't think it's appropriate to throw a large, fancy event this year — even if they can afford it," she says. "They just don't think it sends the right message."